Trinkets
by By the Void
Summary: Balthier and Vaan have a bet.
The young boy leveled a glare at his 'mentor', holding his treasure to his chest.

If you can get this treasure before I do, and manage to keep it out of my hands for a week, you may fly the Strahl, the pirate had said to him one day, seemingly out of the blue. I might even let you fly it again, should you do well the first time.

And that's how Vaan had found himself in his current situation, standing in the middle of his bedroom, Balthier feet away from him. The infuriating pirate was sporting a teasing smirk, his fingers outstretched as if trying to appeal to a frightened animal, which only served to piss Vaan off.

"While I was sleeping, you dirty cheat!? It's been less than two hours since I got the damned thing!"

"It's not cheating. I am, first and foremost, a pirate, should you have forgotten, and secondly, we never set any boundaries. The thing that surprises me is that you woke up. You are normally a very heavy sleeper. Were you even sleeping in the first place, little thief?"

"If you call me thief on more time," Vaan warned, eyes narrow. "Get out of my bedroom, Balthier. If you try to take it while I'm asleep again, I'll cut your damn hand off. You're lucky you got away with a scratch this time," the boy snapped.

Balthier chuckled. "If I truly tried to avoid your petty little attack, you would not have struck me. Goodnight, little thief."

The door closed, putting a firm barrier between him and whatever Vaan had thrown at him. He was quite satisfied at the loud crack of something striking the door instead of him, and he found his way back to the cockpit of his ship.

Vaan had managed to thwart another attempt at his treasure. He carried it on him at all times, as was safest of something you wanted to keep from a sky pirate, yet that somehow was almost his downfall. They were together, somewhere in the Paramina Rift, fighting a treacherous wyrm together, one of their many marks.

The thing was ridiculously powerful, both physically and magically, and they had quickly devised a strategy. The three of them, Balthier, Fran, and Vaan, had wedged themselves between a large rock and a cliff-face, Fran having quickly cast a reflect spell on each of them. Given the beast could not reach them, it relied on magic to attack.

Vaan felt the tingle of lightning as the spell was reflected back at Fafnir. They each were casting their own spells, not wanting to waste time in taking such a dangerous wyrm down.

This was, by all rights, the last place Vaan thought Balthier would try and snatch the treasure. Yet he felt the pirate's fingers brush along his skin, startling and causing his spell to misfire. It struck Fran, reflecting off of her and going haywire before fizzling into nothing. Vaan turned angry eyes at the amused Archadian, and wasted no time in elbowing the man straight in the stomach.

Putting the treasure in his front pouch rather than his back one, he continued casting spells at Fafnir, blatantly ignoring, yet keeping a close eye on his companion. Fran only gave them both a disapproving stare, never having paused in her casting.

"Balthier, no!"

"Oh, yes, little thief!"

Balthier had Vaan pinned to the ground, his legs on either side of the younger man's slim hips, both of Vaan's wrists caught in one hand as he struggled fruitlessly, arching and twisting every which way. Balthier thought the boy looked rather good this way, writhing beneath him, and the thought disturbed him slightly.

Ignoring the more inappropriate side of his thoughts, he began groping- No, searching the boy for his treasure. He checked each pouch, running his fingers under the waistband of Vaan's pants when he didn't find it in his pouches. He became slightly frustrated, head snapping up to ask the boy where his damn treasure was. He stopped dead when he saw the mischievous smirk on Vaan's cherubic little face.

"Oh, Balthier, you really thought I would agree to wrestle with you, knowing full well you'd pin me within minutes, and keep the treasure on me? Please. And it isn't in my room, either, so don't even think about it. Now let go of me."

"You've smartened up, Vaan. I have to say, I'm actually kind of proud right now." Balthier slid off of the boy, staring at him with a look that was as close to admiration as Balthier Bunansa would ever get.

"Smartened up enough to keep it from you for six days. Tomorrow is your last chance, pirate." He smirked impishly, rising and brushing the dirt off of himself before, presumably, going to fetch his trinket. Balthier watched him go, a head stirring in his stomach.

He was in trouble.

Finally, the treasure was his. He stared down at it, watched it pant and writhe underneath him as he drove inside, again and again, more, harder, faster. Vaan cried out with each thrust, clawing viciously at Balthier's back, spurring the man on. He listened to his name fall from pink lips repeatedly, like a prayer, and it drove him crazy.

Finally, they found release together, Balthier falling atop his young lover, kissing him sweetly, lovingly. He rolled off, pulling his desert thief into his arms, holding him tight to his chest and enjoying the silence. Until it was broken.

"You lose," the boy muttered sweetly, cooed even, and pecked the pirate on the cheek, who gave the boy a glare that could set fire to water, and his gaze shifted to the jeweled necklace around the boys neck. He could have taken it, but he had been... distracted.

THE END WHOOOOOOO this is the FIRST fucking fic I have gotten through and enjoyed writing and didn't regret the whole thing and delete it. Yaassss. Yas.


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